The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

It is possible to move three, four, or even five counties out from the District of Columbia and still feel the effects of growth in the national capital region, even though Unger, W.Va. is not generally considered a suburb of Washington.

June 30 - The Washington Post

Grace Dobush urges the city of Pittsburgh to preserve its old-world charm.

June 29 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Former California State Architect Steven Castellanos outlines the changes that would be required to change how schools are designed and built if they are to become centers of communities.

June 29 - New Schools, Better Neighborhoods

Planning commissioners in the City of Tracy cite a CEQA provision as they choose the environmentally un-friendly alternative -- a sprawling subdivision of 500 new homes.

June 29 - Tracy Press

An independent review panel of experts has challenged the transportation aims of the San Diego Association of Governments, saying it has focused too much on auto-oriented development and is essentially promoting sprawl.

June 29 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Joel Kotkin asserts that "city sophisticates" praising downtown revivals and the New Urbanism must now admit that the suburbs are the center of attention in America and around the world.

June 29 - David Gest

Joining cities like Austin and Philadelphia that are implementing city-wide wireless networks, Atlanta is seeking partners to help provide on-demand access in a 132-square-mile area.

June 29 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Kelo" comes to California on Nov. 7 when voters will consider the "Protect Our Homes" initiative. Having qualified for the ballot, the initiative may sharply restrict local government's ability to regulate land use, similar to Oregon's Measure 37.

June 29 - San Francisco Chronicle

A summary look at why the housing affordability crisis continues to exist in major metro areas of the country.

June 29 - USA Today

Author Jeff Goodell writes of the price paid for the extraction and burning of coal, from mining accidents and blacklung disease affecting miners, to air pollution downwind of power plants, and finally, the global warming affecting the planet.

June 29 - The New York Times

"Community rights" do not exist, and since legislators and much of the public have "gone squishy" over individual property rights, more action is needed to restrict eminent domain powers, according to this op-ed.

June 29 - Reason Foundation

Giant orbiting sunshades, floating plastic islands, and other "far-out" ideas for addressing global warming deserve a serious look, say some of the world's prominent scientists.

June 28 - The New York Times

Are community gardens the antidote to America's health and urban problems?

June 28 - Times Online

Mixed use developments are moving into the suburbs of Milwaukee as developers see the demand for combined uses spreading out from the city's core.

June 28 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Developers in Indianapolis want to bring retail to its downtown canal, an area already busy with visitors and concentrated with housing. They're looking at San Antonio's River Walk for inspiration and advice.

June 28 - The Indianapolis Star

Frustrated with slow progress, a Mississippi Gulf Coast city is considering importing hundreds or thousands of Chinese laborers and materials to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina

June 28 - The Los Angeles Times

Petro-dollars are fueling the tiny emirate's ambitions to become one of the world's top commercial and tourist destinations. Experts wonder if Dubai's blazing growth is sustainable.

June 28 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's quest for "elegant density" brings him to the annual convention of the American Institute of Architects, where he emphasizes his commitment to high-quality urban design.

June 28 - The Planning Report

FEATURE

June 28 - Jessica Roder

The case could be one of the most important environmental case heard by the court.

June 28 - The Los Angeles Times